Heaven, Help Me
by YoureMyTicket
Summary: What Anne did know was that she loved her son with all her heart and that she would do anything to keep him safe. And as long as Louis loved and accepted him as his own, he would protect him as well. And Aramis...Aramis had vowed to protect him with his life. (Extending and adding scenes to season 2. Part three of the "Fortunate To Be Loved By You" series.)
1. Keep Your Friends Close

_Your son, Sire._

His heart had been lighter in the morning. The reality of the Cardinal being dead sinking in when they had departed for this mystery meeting, knowing that his funeral would be taking place in a few hours. The Cardinal was a man who almost had Ninon de Larroque burned at the stake under false charges and then banished her from Paris. A man who had recruited Labarge in the hopes of winning a bet. A man who probably would have had Agnes and Henry killed if they hadn't gotten away. A man who did try to have the Queen killed. And he had allowed the Duke of Savoy to believe Aramis and his fellow musketeers had been sent to kill him. Aramis could not lie, he was happy the Cardinal was no longer a threat to the world.

Now that they had started making their way back to Paris, Rochefort in tow, his heart began to feel heavier and heavier the closer they got to the city.

His son was being born, or might have already been welcomed into the world, and he was off in the countryside and nowhere near them.

Tréville had told the four of them before they set off early this morning. The captain had gone over their instructions for what they now knew was a meeting with Rochefort and then stopped them as they were about to leave his office saying, "One more thing, there was a message from the palace late last night; the Queen's labor pains have started. France might have an heir by the time you get back."

Aramis remembered Athos giving him a nudge to follow him out of the office, for he had frozen in place, his mind whirling with the information. Then, stepping aside to let Aramis descend the stairs ahead of him, Athos had told him in a low murmur, "There's nothing you can do for them."

Aramis knew that the best midwives and physicians in France would be tending to them. A rotation of musketeers to guard the room, and then the child, had already been assigned and sent off. Anne's ladies would be there to support her. Perhaps even the King would be there too.

The only thing he would bring was danger. And he had promised Anne to stay away.

Athos was wrong though, Aramis thought as they made their way through the forest. There was something he could do for them. Pray. He looked up toward the sky and prayed for a safe delivery, for Anne and the child to be well.

And if Tréville was right and his son had already been born by the time they got back? Aramis' gaze fell. Not his son, the King's son. The boy will be the heir to the throne of France and he will only be able to celebrate the birth as a loyal soldier, not a father.

"I demand you release me!" Rochefort shouted behind him, pulling on his ropes and Aramis out of his thoughts.

MMMMMMMMMM

Anne wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and hold her son, to take in every inch of him while also letting her weary body rest, but these first few days, hours, minutes even, were more important. No matter how much she wanted Aramis to be here with her, to show him their beautiful son, there could be no doubt to her loyalties, that Louis was the father of her child. She could rest later, and more peacefully too, if she went out there and performed a few duties first. So while her son was fed and attended to by his nurses, she had her ladies change into black and then help her into her own mourning dress.

Louis had told her that he planned on asking Tréville to join his council and she had to be there. Louis hoped that Tréville could eventually take the Cardinal's place as First Minister and she hoped so too; she knew Tréville, he was like a father to her and the King, and he was a good, honest man who would not abuse his power. She feared that he would need some convincing to take the offer though, and she wanted to be there to assure both him and Louis that Tréville would be a wise addition to the King's council.

She also wanted to meet Constance Bonacieux, so she had a summons sent to her home as well. Now that she had finally given him an heir, Louis was more pleased with her than ever, and he was so preoccupied with the Cardinal's vacancy that he would be less concerned about her hiring a commoner to such a high position in her household.

Constance had been recommended by Aramis and d'Artagnan, with the latter of the two surely being in love with her by the way he talked about the woman. But, she was _Madame_ Bonacieux, and was married to another. Anne frowned in the mirror as the final pins were put into her hair, remembering how despondent d'Artagnan's expression became when this fact was brought up and she could tell he was trying to restrain himself from letting his frustration boil over when he was describing Monsieur Bonacieux and his relationship with his wife.

Madame Bonacieux sounded like a good, honest woman though, and if Anne could help a friend of the musketeers, she would. Anne also hoped to find a friend in Constance. Although she had no intention of burdening Constance with her dangerous secret, she understood very well what it was like to be trapped in a marriage while in love with a musketeer. Perhaps though, once Anne got to know her better, or if ever necessary, Anne would be able to reveal some of her deeper feelings and secrets. Maybe that's why Aramis first suggested Constance be her confidant.

After putting her rings on, Anne turned to her ladies and nodded that she was ready. She wanted to surround her family with people she could trust and there was no time to waste.

Leading the way, she walked down the hallway to a room Anne thought might never hear the cries of a child of hers. Entering the nursery, Anne saw Lady Marguerite holding the Dauphin, waiting to follow her out. Earlier, Anne had arranged for her son's crib to be brought out so that the members of court would be able to see the new dauphin for themselves.

"Is he ready?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Marguerite replied as she gave a small curtsey.

Approaching the bundle of blankets in Marguerite's arms, Anne could feel her anxiety growing with every step. Was she strong enough for this? Was she doing right by her son? Would she be able to protect him from her great sin if it were ever found out?

Stopping in front of Marguerite, she looked over and into the face of her son. She couldn't help but take a breath. He really was perfect. Truly a gift from God. She stroked one of his tiny hands, finding solace when he grasped her finger in response.

What Anne did know was that she loved her son with all her heart and that she would do anything to keep him safe. And as long as Louis loved and accepted him as his own, he would protect him as well.

And Aramis...Aramis had vowed to protect him with his life.

Watching her son, she noticed that he could barely keep his eyes open. "Are you falling asleep?" she asked aloud.

"The wet nurse said he fed well," Marguerite informed her.

"Oh, good." Anne smiled, giving his hand a little shake before letting go. "That's very good."

Anne stepped back and then swept her gaze over everyone in the room as she turned towards the doorway, making sure everyone was ready. Taking a deep breath and hoping that her legs would stop shaking, Anne prepared herself for her entrance into court.

MMMMMMMMMM

Tréville nodded his head. "Cut him loose."

While Porthos freed Rochefort's hands from their bindings, Tréville stood up and went over to where he had laid down his cape and black sash to put them on for their visit to the palace.

Aramis was glad he and Athos were standing at opposite ends of the desk, because he knew Athos would be upset about it and would probably like to give him a good kick for asking, but he had to know. "Any news of the Queen?"

"Has something happened to the Queen?" Rochefort asked next to him, probably ready to chide them for allowing the Queen to come to some harm.

Tréville paused before tying a knot for his cape. Ignoring Rochefort, he answered Aramis. "There's some good news there at least. The Queen has given birth to a son. France has an heir."

Aramis heard Porthos cheer in response to the news but he could not add his voice to it because his breath had caught in his throat. He could hardly believe it. His son was really here.

"And how are mother and child?" Aramis heard Athos ask, once again bringing him out of his stupor. He looked over and found Athos watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"Very well. The Queen is already back on her feet and she and the King have been proudly showing off the new dauphin, though major celebrations have been postponed out of respect for the Cardinal."

Relief flooded through Aramis and the grip on his heart eased at the confirmation that they were both all right. His fingers rubbed at where his crucifix rested against his chest under his clothes and he sent a brief prayer to God, thanking Him that they were well.

As Tréville walked around his desk toward Rochefort, Aramis briefly thought of coming up with some excuse so that he could go to his room and release the emotions building up inside him, but they were taking Rochefort to the palace and Tréville had said that Anne was no longer resting, maybe he could see her and his son when they brought Rochefort to the King.

Inspired by Anne's strength and unable to quell the increasing desire to see them, Aramis straightened up and blinked away the tears that had started to form in his eyes. He had to compose himself. He could cry and drink and possibly throw up later. He had to assure Athos that he was fit to go and once they were there, he had to make sure to give anything away.

"Come on, let's go." Tréville grabbed Rochefort's upper arm and led him out, asking him questions about De Foix as they went through the doorway.

After letting Tréville and Rochefort leave first, d'Artagnan started to follow them out but then stopped in the doorway and turned to his brothers, a grin on his face. "It's too bad the Cardinal didn't live to see how wrong he was about the Queen."

Porthos chuckled. "Yeah, but Her Majesty is probably having the best week of her life."

* * *

Historical background/inspiration: "late on the evening of Saturday 4 September, Anne felt the first pains, and shortly after eleven the next morning, she gave birth to a son" -Ruth Kleinman, _Anne of Austria_


	2. An Ordinary Man

_My son's christening is tomorrow. His father will be there._

Aramis left the city morgue with renewed hope and determination to find d'Artagnan and the King.

Hearing the tavern keeper earlier say that the kidnappers probably rob then kill their victims had sent a chill up his spine. If the King were to be killed...that meant his son, his infant son, would be the next ruler of France.

Anne would naturally be named regent, but would the people be content with that combination? A baby and a Spanish woman ruling France? Would someone see this as an opportunity to seize power? Could he protect them from such a threat?

And d'Artaganan. So young and with so much potential, so much to live for, he could not die like this.

But since the corpse they had just seen was neither the King's nor d'Artagnan's then that meant they were still out there, and they could still find them. The best thing he could do for Anne and the Dauphin was find the King as soon as possible and now, thanks to Porthos, they could soon be on the right path to finding him, and d'Artagnan would protect him until they did.

MMMMMMMMMM

Anne squeezed Constance's hand, grateful for something to hold onto. Constance's presence grounded her and kept her from losing control. She had to stay calm and firm in the belief that the musketeers would return Louis to her before it was too late.

If the King is absent from his own son's christening, the people will want to know why. The excuse that he was ill would tide them over for now, but if he is absent for too long and no one can come to his bedside, or if he doesn't show up until after the christening, then people will start wondering why. They will start to speculate. What if they come to the conclusion that the King could not preside over the pouring of holy water on a child that was not truly his? That he could not maintain such a lie in a house of God?

Even if Louis returned after the christening, even if he still proclaimed the Dauphin to be his, the idea would have already been planted in people's minds. It could spread until it reached Louis' ears and he would begin to have doubts.

Doubts that would ultimately be proven true and then all Anne had done since she realized she was pregnant would be for nothing.

She had spent hours agonizing over what to do until she finally decided to bury her feelings for Aramis and convince Louis the baby was his. The fear of what would happen not only to her, but Aramis and the baby if she admitted to having a child by another man leaving her no option but to lie, even if protecting them meant taking Aramis' child away from him. She had committed herself to upholding this lie and thought all the major obstacles to keeping it would soon be overcome after the christening, but now everything was about to fall apart and she didn't know what she could do to stop it.

For now, she had to tell their guests that the King should be well enough to attend the christening while telling herself that the musketeers would find him and bring him back in time.

Anne turned to Constance and gave her hand a squeeze. "D'Artagnan will be there too."

D'Artagnan was the King's champion and Aramis was hers, and together with their friends they would bring the King back safely. They had to find him and they had to find him alive, for she could not bring herself to think of what would happen if he was found dead.

* * *

 **A/N: Since this chapter and the next one are fairly short, the wait for the next couple of chapters won't be as long :)**


	3. The Good Traitor

_Pray for him_

She had gotten ready for bed, but Anne knew she would be getting very little, if any, sleep tonight.

Instead of getting under the covers only to lie there and stare up at the canopy, she paced back and forth in the front of the room in the hope that it would tire her out, while trying to convince herself that her son would be well again, that he would be better in the morning.

Every now and then, she'd glance over to the closed doors, foolishly hoping that she would hear Aramis sneaking up to her quarters like he did earlier, except this time she would let him in and he would hold her and assure her that everything would be all right.

She had wanted to go to him when she saw him at the nursery door before, her feet almost moving on their own toward him, but she had caught herself at the last second and turned away from him. Marguerite was in the room, and Doctor Lemay and others were always coming and going. She could not let her guard down.

But poor Aramis, he probably needed comforting just as much as she did. At least she could tend to their son, do whatever she could to help him, but Aramis, selfless and caring Aramis, he could do nothing but watch from a distance. He must have caught word of the Dauphin's fever and had risked suspicion just to catch a glimpse of the boy.

Anne approached one of her windows and stood in front of it, flickering torches outside catching her eye as a dreadful feeling started to creep up on her. Perhaps this really was her fault. This was her punishment for selfishly seeking love and breaking her marriage vows, for breaking a commandment. God would let her know what it was like to have a child, to be a mother after so long and then leave her with nothing. But keeping this secret, keeping Aramis from his son, hadn't that been punishment enough?

She closed her eyes and tried to push away her dark thoughts. God would not be so cruel as to grant her the miracle that was her son only to take him away from her.

Anne turned away from the window and went to sit on the end of her bed. Her thoughts strayed, as they had been all day, to Alfonso, her dear baby brother who had died shortly before turning a year old. He had been born on her tenth birthday, a get-well present for her everyone had joked, since she she was spending most of her birthday ill in bed. Everyone's joy turned into sadness though once it became clear that her mother would not recover from the birth.

She remembered her mother asking her to help her father take care of her brothers and sisters after she was gone. Her mother had then smiled weakly at her, telling her that it would be good practice for when she was Queen of France and had borne children of her own.

But Alfonso never saw his first birthday. She had failed him and her mother.

Anne looked up at the portraits of her parents on either side of the doorway. "You both had such high hopes for me." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "But I've been nothing but a disappointment." Bowing her head, Anne started sobbing softly into her hands.

 _Remember how you cried, all those years ago, when you left Spain for your marriage_ , Rochefort had said earlier.

He was bringing back so many memories of her life in Spain.

She had tried to keep her head up and not cry after her father could no longer accompany her on the journey to France, but once she was alone her sorrow for her family and homeland had overcome her and the tears had streamed down her face. She had been so lost in her grief that she had not noticed Rochefort's presence until he asked if she was all right, causing her to jump and try to hastily wipe the tears off her face before responding to him.

Wiping away the tears now, Anne's breathing started to become steadier as it seemed she had run out of tears to shed. Her thoughts became clearer. Rochefort was right. He had been there for her then, he was here for her now, and she would get through this. She had to stay strong for her son and pray, for it was all in God's hands now.

Anne went over to her prie dieu, knelt down, and closed her eyes. After taking a deep breath, she started to recite the "Hail Mary" over and over and over again until everything else was blocked out of her mind, until she realized her words were slurring and her body was swaying and then she crawled into bed.

MMMMMMMMMM

Once he finished washing the ash and dirt off his hands and face, Aramis was on his way back to the infirmary to watch over Porthos, who was now sleeping after his leg wound had been taken care of, when he saw a messenger from the palace dismount from his horse and hand the reins over to Jacques. Aramis started walking towards the messenger as the boy headed toward the stairs to the captain's office.

"Are you here to see the captain?" Aramis called out in a helpful tone.

"The King wants a report from him."

"Mhm, well, if he's not in his office then he might have gone back to the infirmary." Aramis informed him.

"Thank you, monsieur." The boy nodded and turned away.

Aramis let the boy go up a couple of steps before speaking up again. "Do you know how the Dauphin is faring? I heard he has a fever." He leaned onto the railing. "It's just that Tréville's report won't be a good one, and it'd be nice to know what kind of mood the King is already in," he explained. "If the Dauphin isn't doing so well and then His Majesty hears our bad news…" Aramis shook his head and grimaced.

"Oh yeah, um..." The messenger's forehead wrinkled in thought. "Actually, when I answered the King's summons the Comte de Rochefort was there talking to His Majesty and I heard him say that 'What matters is that the Dauphin is recovering and in his mother's arms where he belongs.'"

Aramis' body sagged in relief and he leaned more heavily against the railing. "Well, that is good news; for the musketeers and for France." Aramis reached over and gave a pat to the boy's back. "Thank you. The others will be pleased to hear that." He tilted his head up to Tréville's office. "I won't keep you any longer."

Rather than head back to the infirmary right away, Aramis headed in the direction of the Garrison chapel and tried to keep his emotions in check until he made it there. He needed to be alone for a moment. He needed to thank God for keeping his son and Porthos alive.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Next up is the chapter for "Emilie" and I'm very excited about it, as Anne and Aramis will finally get to spend some time together!

 **Historical Note/Inspiration:**

-Alfonso Was born on September 22, 1611 and Margaret died on October 3rd. He "was known primarily as Alfonso el Caro, or 'the Dear,' meaning both cherished and costly, for his birth cost his mother her life" - _Raised to Rule_ by Martha Hoffman

-"The infanta Ana spent her tenth birthday ill in bed" - _Raised to Rule_ by Martha Hoffman

-Philip III "had been moved to tears at parting from his favorite daughter, and she had also wept, both knowing that they were not likely to meet again in life" - _Anne of Austria_ by Ruth Kleinman

-On Anne's way to Bordeaux, "one of the Spaniards in her suite had reported that she sorrowed and wept in private for her father, although in public she had been firm and encouraged everyone around her"- _Anne of Austria_ by Ruth Kleinman

-Anne was Philip's "daughter of such hopes and expectations"- _Raised to Rule_ by Martha Hoffman

-Those massive portraits of Anne's parents she has in her bedroom


	4. Emilie

" _Foolish" is the better word_

Anne exited the tent thanking God that it was Constance who had caught her and Aramis, and not anyone else. If Emilie or any of her followers had seen her kissing another man, they would surely want to kill her then; do the King a favour and free him of his unfaithful Spanish wife.

Meanwhile their beloved King was probably enjoying Milady de Winter's intimate company.

Her jaw tightened at the unfairness of it all. This was the first time in months, since before the Dauphin was born, that she had been able to talk to Aramis, to be close to him, to touch him. And it had felt so good to kiss him. To feel his lips on hers, his arms encircling her, his fingers starting to weave into her hair. She wished she could have stayed in his embrace for hours.

"Majesty," whispered Constance, bringing Anne's attention to the cloak she was holding up. She turned around so that Constance could drape it over her shoulders, hoping that she wasn't blushing too much in front of Emilie and her waiting followers.

While Anne tied her cloak and Constance donned hers, Aramis came out of the tent. He stopped to ask them if they were ready and they both nodded their heads yes.

"Let's get going," said Aramis, raising his voice enough so that Emilie could hear him. "The quicker we get you back, the sooner Emilie can see the King."

"Thank you, Aramis," Emilie responded, with genuine trust and hope in her eyes.

Aramis bowed his head slightly at Emilie and then turned back to Anne and Constance. "Follow me," he instructed them, and led them out of the camp with his head held high.

Anne and Constance stayed close together as they followed Aramis into the forest, none of them saying a word.

When they could no longer hear the sounds of the camp, Aramis looked behind them and then veered off, stopping on the side of the trail.

He motioned for her and Constance to come over. "Constance, are you feeling better after last night?"

Constance's eyes flickered over to Anne before she answered him. "Yes, it was just a bad dream."

"Good."

"Aramis," said Constance, her voice lowering, "do you think they'd have us followed?"

"No. I think all we have to be careful about is people recognizing the Queen," he glanced over at Anne, "especially those who have been going after Spaniards, but we'll worry about that more as we get closer to the palace."

"Well," Constance said brightly, "you two can go ahead until then. I won't be far behind."

Anne raised her eyebrows at her, and glancing at Aramis, saw that he had too.

Aramis put his hands on his hips. "Constance…"

"You might as well talk with each other while you can. Just tell me, does d'Artagnan and the others know?"

"No, only Athos," Aramis told her, shifting his feet, "Like you, he...saw us together."

"And he's very tight-lipped." She turned to Anne. "And so am I."

"Thank you, Constance. We never meant to put anyone in danger, we just..."

"You don't have to explain yourselves, not now, and not to me," Constance assured her.

"We're lucky to have you as a friend, Constance." Aramis gave Constance's elbow a squeeze. "Shall we continue on? You can say if you need to stop at any point."

"We shouldn't stop too much though or they'll start to get concerned about how long I've been sleeping back at the palace," Anne added and the three of them started back on the path. Giving a small smile to Aramis when he looked over at her, they wordlessly agreed to Constance's proposal and walked side by side.

"How _did_ you get out of the palace exactly?" he asked.

"I feigned a headache and said I'd have Constance get me anything I needed, otherwise I wasn't to be disturbed. Then Constance helped smuggle me out in plainclothes."

"That simple, eh?"

"I can be very persuasive." Anne cocked her head to the side. "Also, I think my household is always eager to be relieved of their evening duties. "

Aramis moved closer and lowered his voice. "What of the Dauphin? Has he fully recovered from his fever?"

"Yes, thank God." Anne flashed him a smile. "He is a real fighter, Aramis, and a bit stubborn I might say."

"Stubborn, really?" Aramis said with an exaggerated tone of surprise. "I never would have imagined. I mean, where would he have gotten that from?"

"Are you insinuating that I'm stubborn?"

Aramis acted affronted. "I would never, Your Majesty."

They took a couple more steps and then Aramis spoke again. "I'd say you're persistent."

Anne gave a noise of shock which quickly turned into laughter once she saw his grin. "That may be, but you can be fairly 'persistent' yourself, so don't blame it all on me."

"Blame? Oh no, Majesty, you misunderstand me. I see it as a virtue, not a vice," he explained, giving her that charming smile of his.

"Oh, you do? Well, then please accept my apologies," said Anne, going along, enjoying being able to talk with him like this.

She looked back at Constance, who, as she said she would, was walking several steps behind her and Aramis. Anne smiled softly at her and it was returned.

Even though she wished to leave what had happened with Constance and the Dauphin in the past, she knew she should tell Aramis. He had a right to know and if not for him, she would not have taken on Constance as her confidant. "Did you know that it was Constance who cured the Dauphin?"

"Yes, I…" His gaze fell to the ground. "I know what happened. I'm thankful that it turned out all right."

"Did Constance tell you?" Anne knew Constance had gone out the other night to see d'Artagnan, and she didn't know how long Aramis had been at Emilie's camp; perhaps Constance had seen him that night.

"No, I um, just heard about it. Even us soldiers get in on court gossip," he ended his statement with a smile, but it did not reach his eyes and it pained her to realize how hard it must be for him to get news of his son this way.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep you informed."

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been there for you both," he said earnestly.

"It's not your fault," she assured him.

Looking down at the ground he nodded and she felt for him and the constraints he was under.

"Have you thought about increasing the number of guards for him?"

"I have." Anne took a deep breath. " I want him to be safe of course, but I don't want him to be constantly surrounded by a circle of guards and growing up feeling scared in his own home. And what happened, the guards know Constance, no one expected her to do such a thing. I'm confident they would act swiftly and successfully against a real threat," Anne explained to him, while also trying to convince herself of a decision she had been battling with.

Aramis was silent for several seconds. When he turned his head and their eyes met, he told her, "I know you'll do what is best for him."

"I will," she said to him resolutely. "And Constance will help me."

Coming up to a large tree root that rose high across the path, Aramis walked ahead and stepped over the root, holding his hand out for Anne to take when she reached it.

Not letting go of Aramis' hand after she stepped over the root, Anne gave it a squeeze. "I know you are watching out for him too."

"As best as I can," he told her and then lifted her hand to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers as he kissed her knuckles before letting go to help Constance.

They continued walking through the forest, with Aramis pushing away branches and offering a steadying hand to Anne whenever they encountered uneven ground or roots crossing the path. Most of the time his help was unnecessary, and obviously so, but it was an excuse for contact, so neither of them said anything against it, their hands reaching out for each other earlier and earlier each time.

Constance though, let Aramis know after the first few instances that she could make do without his help, telling him, "Thank you, Lancelot, but I think I can manage on my own. You may stay with your Guinevere and I'll give you a shout if I need you to carry me over a puddle."

As they neared the edge of the forest, Anne told him more about the Dauphin and how he was growing, and then Aramis, after confirming her assumptions that he was at the camp undercover, told her more about Emilie and her vendetta against King Philip.

"I can tell that she has a good heart and she truly believes in what she is doing," Anne said, "but going so far as to call Philip, my little brother, the Antichrist? It's ridiculous. It would actually be funny if not for the army of followers behind her."

Aramis hummed in agreement and then looking at her with a straight face asked, "So your brother really doesn't have hooves instead of feet then?"


	5. The Return

_My wife is still alive. She lives in Paris, mistress to the King._

"Constance, I'm going for a walk, would you join me?" Anne asked, though it wasn't really meant to be a question.

Constance followed her in silence, keeping a step behind until they exited the palace, at which point she came up closer and whispered, "Is everything all right, Majesty?"

Anne kept her chin up. "It's been arranged that the King, the Dauphin, myself, and a few courtiers will be going to an old fort to view the upcoming eclipse, hosted by an astronomer. You'll come too, unless you have any objection to going." She looked over at her friend, who seemed to have been caught off guard by the topic.

"No...um, that sounds nice." Constance's tone was light and cheery, but her raised eyebrows and concerned eyes told Anne she was waiting for more information.

"The King's plan is for he and I to dress as the Sun and the Moon and," Anne stopped, in thought and in step. Tilting her head back slightly, she sighed before finally admitting what was bothering her, "Milady will be going as Venus."

"Oh," said Constance, understanding dawning on her.

"I suggested that we just go as a family and not bring all the others or that we have a viewing at the palace, but he was adamant about us all going out." It was one thing to tolerate Milady's presence in the palace where there could be rooms and floors between them, doors for her and Louis to conduct their affair behind and out of sight, but to make them all go on this outing together would be much harder to stomach. Courtiers would be seeing first hand how much Louis favoured Milady over her, how much Anne fell short of the other woman's charm and beauty.

"At least the musketeers will be accompanying us," Anne added. The memory of the kiss she shared with Aramis in Emilie's tent still vivid enough that she imagined she could still feel the pressure and warmth of his lips on hers. If there was one good thing about this event, it would be being able to see him.

Before she could get lost in her fantasies, Anne looked over at Constance, who, despite Anne thinking she would be happy about the thought of seeing d'Artagnan, only gave a small smile at the comment and otherwise looked apprehensive.

"How many musketeers?"

"The four: d'Artagnan, Aramis, Athos, and Porthos. I asked the King if Tréville could come, if not as captain, then at least as a normal musketeer, but he said no. Still, I'm glad the four will be going." It had upset her to hear that Tréville had been relieved of his position. It was true that his last several missions had not gone as smoothly as planned and Perales died under his protection, but Tréville was one of the most loyal and hard working men in France, dedicating decades of his life to serving the crown. And he was one of the few men at court she could trust.

"Majesty," said Constance, looking around before moving closer and then lowering her voice when she spoke again. "Will it be all right that Aramis is there, I mean with the King there as well?"

It took Anne a few seconds before realizing what Constance was worried about; between Constance helping to break Emilie's addiction and then Tréville getting demoted, they had not yet talked about what Constance had witnessed a few days ago at Emilie's camp.

"Oh, Constance, you don't have to worry about that," Anne assured her. "He and I are not having an affair, nor do we plan on conducting one. What you saw in Emilie's tent, it won't happen again. It can't."

Constance only looked at her with sad eyes and nodded, accepting her declaration.

"Sit with me?" Anne asked and then led Constance in the direction of a bench under the trees, the desire to explain further building up inside her.

She supposed what really frustrated her about this whole thing was that Louis could openly have an affair, could express his lust or even love if that's what it really is, while she had to keep her distance from Aramis for fear of them being found guilty of treason. And there was no escape for her. She could not leave Louis and she could not be with Aramis. It was impossible. Even more so now that she had the Dauphin.

Marie de Medici had warned her long ago, told her that Louis wanted to be like his father, and that he was likely to have mistresses and possibly bastard children. Anne knew it might happen, knew that kings sometimes had mistresses, but she had always hoped to have a marriage like her parents. Their marriage had been political, but they came to love each other deeply, and even after her mother died, her father never married again.

Louis' eye had wandered over the years and he would flirt, so she wasn't exactly surprised that he had been taken with Milady, but he had never been unfaithful until now. She supposed it was another punishment for her own selfishness. After all, Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. She too had never been unfaithful until that night with Aramis, and what ended up happening was exactly why queens couldn't have lovers.

She had thought she and Louis could grow to love each other-they had certainly liked each other in the beginning-but now that she knew firsthand what real love and passion felt like, and since Louis had pushed her aside now that he had an heir, she knew it would never happen. They might still remain as close as friends, and she would always perform her duties as queen, but she knew she would never find with Louis what she had with Aramis.

"About a year ago," Anne began once they sat down, "I was set upon by assassins while I was away from the palace. The musketeers were with me though, and Athos and Aramis eventually brought me to a nearby convent while d'Artagnan and Porthos went to Paris for help." She started fiddling with her rings. "Aramis and I spent a good deal of time together, working to fend off the assassins, talking, getting to know each other better, and...we kissed. Athos saw us together, and until Emilie's camp, we had not shared a kiss since."

Anne had been deliberately vague on some of the details as she had not decided yet whether to tell Constance about the Dauphin's true parentage, but it felt good to finally talk even a little about what had happened, and she hoped that by opening up to Constance, their friendship could become stronger.

"He made me feel loved. And being away from the palace, dealing with Milady, I just wanted to feel that again."

"I understand," said Constance in a soft voice.

"You do?" Anne asked eagerly, hoping Constance had come to trust her and feel comfortable enough to talk about her feelings for d'Artagnan, and confirm Anne's suspicion that she was in love with the musketeer just as he clearly loved her.

Constance smiled sympathetically. "Musketeers have a way of capturing your heart."

MMMMMMMMMM

Once the main conversation died down after Athos filled them in on more of the details regarding his...forced return to his former estate, Aramis directed his horse closer to Athos' so that they were side by side.

"The, uh, excessive drinking, was that because of Milady's new position at the palace?" He asked cautiously, lowering his voice so the others wouldn't hear.

Athos looked straight ahead and after several seconds of silence, Aramis thought he might not answer.

"Yes," Athos finally admitted.

Aramis shook his head. "Tréville should have told us as soon as he found out what she was up to. Maybe then we would have been able to head her off, prevent this 'relationship' from going so far."

"I think he knew as well as you and I that we wouldn't have been able to and so he figured he would try and keep me ignorant of it as long as possible, only d'Artagnan and Constance got to me first, unintentional though it was. And we tried to warn the King, remember? He was already lost to her before we even got there."

Aramis sighed, knowing he was right, but still wishing that there was something they could have done.

"Now she has everything she wanted," said Athos, sounding doleful.

"Does she?"

Athos finally looked at him. His eyebrows were knitted together and his bottom lip protruded from his frown.

"Do you think she poses a threat to the Queen? The Dauphin?" Aramis elaborated. "D'Artagnan says she doesn't, but what do you think?"

Athos looked down in thought. "No, I don't think she would hurt them."

"She was working with the Cardinal when he tried to have the Queen assassinated. And what if she's in on his threat and knows about the Dauphin?" Aramis firmly asked, his jaw tight.

"Worked for him, not with him as far as I know, and he cut ties with her before he learned of the Queen's pregnancy. Besides, she can't be a queen, even she knows that. She wouldn't want to be queen anyway." Athos scoffed. "Being the King's mistress gives her the status and riches without the responsibilities."

Aramis sighed lightly and nodded his head in agreement. Milady had lost the Cardinal's support before they ran her out of Paris and then they didn't find out about the baby until later. Aramis was also inclined to believe Athos on the latter part too, for although she was good at hiding it, he knew being queen weighed heavily on Anne and that her life was not as easy as many people thought it was, especially with the way the King treated her.

"You don't need to worry about the Queen. I feel for her, and I wouldn't like the King to be having an affair with any woman, but she doesn't need rescuing from this. Just tell me you don't have any intention of going to the Queen to 'comfort' her."

Aramis only glared at him in response. As much as he wanted to be with Anne, he was not foolish enough to think that the King having a mistress meant that it was safe for him to see her. If anything, Milady living at the palace made it more dangerous for him to be there and gave him another reason to make sure Marguerite gave up her notion that there could be deeper feelings between them, for it wouldn't do well to be caught by Milady when he was sneaking around the place and frequenting the Queen's private apartments, even if it was only to see the royal governess.

Even without Milady, he knew his relationship with Marguerite had to end. In the beginning, he had taken the opportunity to be near and protect his son, and his safety was still his priority, but he had also wanted to try and move on from Anne. He was not lying when he told Marguerite he was fond of her, but he had been lying to himself, thinking that he could push aside his feelings for Anne. The kiss they shared in Emilie's tent and the their journey back to the palace had confirmed it.

"What about you though," Aramis asked, his expression softening. "Will you be able to bear seeing her with the King?"

"I hope I won't have to find out."

* * *

 **Historical background/inspiration:**

-Don't have the book I read anymore, but some googling will tell you that Henri IV had almost a dozen illegitimate children (that we know of) and had them raised with his legitimate children (something Louis didn't like), and is guessed to have had like 50 lovers

-Anne and Louis had sort of a delayed honeymoon period around 1620 and during it Louis declared his love for her, wrote her a poem set to music, bounded up steps to kiss her when collecting a prize from her at an equestrian exhibition, and for the only time in his life suspended court protocol to be with Anne when she was very ill, to which "Anne responded to Louis's solicitude gratefully, saying she could see he loved her with all his heart" -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria

-After his wife's death, "Philip III deeply curtailed his court activities...Philip's prolonged mourning for his wife and his withdrawal from court each year to observe the anniversary of her death suggest strong personal feeling" - Martha K. Hoffman, Raised to Rule


	6. Through a Glass Darkly

_Get the Queen to safety._

Anne and Marguerite were waiting for him when he walked through the doorway.

"There could still be some of Marmion's men walking around so we have to be careful," Aramis told them.

Once the women signaled their readiness he started leading them out of the fortress, stopping to check every corner and room they passed until they reached the gate to the outside. Aramis waited for any sign of movement, but hearing and seeing none, he slowly stepped around the open gate with his pistol held aloft. Seeing no one, he walked out and then looked over the side of the staircase where he found two men lying motionless on the ground, having been dealt with by Tréville and the others presumably.

He motioned for Anne and Marguerite to come out. "There might be a man or two keeping a lookout from the windows, and until the King is rescued we can't risk raising an alarm, so we'll stay close to the walls and head for the trees next to the path to the carriage."

"Marmion said that if any of his men saw soldiers approaching he'd kill everyone. I assume the same goes for musketeers sneaking out with his hostages," Anne added, re-adjusting her grip on the Dauphin.

Upon reaching the edge of the trees at the bottom of the hill they all breathed a sigh of relief. Then, while looking around to see how best to navigate his small group up the hill, Aramis spotted a musketeer's pauldron through a gap in the trees.

Aramis whistled sharply and the man turned towards the sound, letting Aramis catch a glimpse of his face. Aramis recognized him to be a musketeer named Gabriel, and he waved his arm, immediately regretting it as a fresh wave of pain ran through his shoulder blade. Gabriel waved a hand back and then went to his left, Aramis momentarily losing track of him behind some tall grass. Hearing his footsteps, Aramis stepped over to the right and saw him coming down a path that must have been worn down by Tréville, Athos, and Milady when they came down.

Aramis clipped his pistol to his belt as the fair-haired musketeer approached. "Gabriel, good to see you," Aramis greeted him, briefly clasping his hand.

"And you, still in one piece." Gabriel grinned. He looked behind Aramis and saw Anne. "Your Majesty," he bowed. "Has the King been rescued as well?"

"Not yet," Aramis answered, "so we still can't risk being seen. Are there more men waiting out of sight?"

Gabriel nodded. "We're waiting for any sign of distress if we need to enter the fortress, otherwise we are here to help clear the building and provide an escort."

"I think the Captain has things under control. I'm to take the Queen to safety and then go back in."

"Gabriel," Anne spoke up, "if you would assist Lady Marguerite up this hill as it is quite steep and the ground is uneven, I will wait here with Aramis. One of you will have to carry the Dauphin while the other helps me up and I don't want to leave Marguerite all by herself."

"Oh, Majesty-" Marguerite started, her eyes flickering back and forth between Anne and Aramis.

"Please, go ahead, Marguerite," Anne encouraged her. "I would like to catch my breath for a little longer anyway."

"Thank you, Majesty." Marguerite bowed her head to Anne and let Gabriel lead her away.

As the others started making their way up the hill, Anne began talking to the Dauphin. "How are you doing, my darling? Hmm?" She held his tiny hand. "You've been so brave. We'll be home soon and then you'll be fed and you can take a nice long nap."

She looked over at him, her appraising gaze making him feel more aware of the cuts on his face and hands along with the sweat on his brow. "A well-deserved rest is in order for you as well. How was it that you survived the fall?"

After checking on Marguerite and Gabriel' progress, Aramis stepped closer to Anne and the Dauphin, closing the distance between them. He held up his crucifix and locked eyes with Anne. "This kept me safe." He kissed the crucifix and then dangled it in front of the Dauphin, drawing the baby's attention. "I landed on the canopy over the entrance. It knocked me out, but I was able to get back up and start climbing once I came to."

"And save us."

Aramis nodded, looking down at the Dauphin as the boy reached his hands out to touch the crucifix. "He's a wonder, Ana."

He caught the hitch in Anne's breath at hearing him say her name, no doubt remembering as he was, that night in the convent when she had told him, "If this is to be my last night on Earth, I want to be called by my name. Call me Ana."

When Aramis looked up at Anne, she was staring at him with her mouth slightly agape. Collecting herself, she gazed back down at their son. "Our little miracle." Looking up at Aramis again there was a pleased smile on her face and dimples appearing on her cheeks.

Seeing her smile so worked like a balm to his injuries, making him forget about his stinging cuts and sore back, but at the sound of rustling tree branches and footsteps signaling Gabriel nearing the base of the hill, Aramis tore his eyes away for her, and turned to meet him, letting go of the crucifix as he did.

"Take him," he heard Anne say behind him.

Aramis looked back to see Anne holding out the Dauphin. She wanted him to be the one to carry their son.

Grateful for the opportunity to hold him more, Aramis took his son and placed him high up on his right hip, holding him up against his chest. "There we go." He placed one of the Dauphin's hands on the edge of his pauldron. "You can hold onto that if you like."

Earlier he had thought that carrying the Dauphin in his basket into the old fortress, and then Anne coming over to check on her son once they were inside, would be the closest he would get to either of them today. Now that he had his son in his arms for the second time, and with only Anne there, he decided he was going to make the most of it.

He checked to see that Gabriel was still a distance away and then pretended to start rearranging the Dauphin's swaddling, making sure his back was to the musketeer. And after placing a quick kiss on his son's forehead he said "I love you" in the softest of whispers.

Glancing over to Anne, Aramis saw her looking at them wistfully, not taking her eyes off of him and their son until Gabriel was level with them.

"Ready, Your Majesty?"

Taking Anne's hand, Gabriel started leading them up the hill. The path was narrow, with overgrown grass on one side and a number of low-lying branches that had to be pushed out of the way on the other. Aramis followed with the Dauphin behind Anne and Gabriel, and despite stepping on her own skirts if she wasn't holding them up high enough or getting them caught on the low branches, Anne never once complained during their ascent.

Once at the top of the hill, they were met by a waiting Marguerite, and to the left Aramis spotted a group of musketeers.

He handed the Dauphin over to Anne. "You'll be safe now." He then turned to Gabriel. "Make sure some of the men stay with Her Majesty if you go down to assist Tréville. Be ready to get her and the Dauphin to the palace if something goes wrong. Don't take the carriage if you're pursued; it's too big and doesn't offer much cover. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Make sure the others understand too. I have to get back."

Aramis started to bow to Anne, but she interrupted him. "Are you sure you're well enough to return?"

He very much would have liked to watch over Anne and the Dauphin himself, and also let his aching body rest, but they were in safe hands now, and he had a duty to his king and to his brothers. "I must help them rescue the King."

Anne nodded in acceptance. "I hope Constance is all right too. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her because of her position with me."

Neither would Aramis, for he was the one who suggested she fill the position in the first place. "We'll save her too. But if she's still with d'Artagnan, he'd never allow any harm to come to her."

"Of course. Go then, and Godspeed."


	7. A Marriage of Inconvenience

_I'd hate to lose it. It's very important to me._

Anne had been so pleased when she saw that he still wore her crucifix that Aramis made a mental note afterwards to always wear it outside his doublet so that she would be able to see it.

But it made the possibility of having lost it forever even worse though.

As he looked in the mirror again and then checked that it wasn't hanging off his belts or something, he tried to think of anytime which it might have gotten caught or came loose, but nothing was sticking out in his mind. He couldn't remember feeling it pull during the fight earlier or as the Archbishop fell, and then he had just escorted Princess Louise into the palace to be received by the Queen.

He had watched as Anne welcomed Louise and wondered, as he had several times during their journey to the palace, what Anne's own trip to France had been like. He knew it had been a much bigger affair since Anne was coming into France to be its queen, and there had been a large caravan of her belongings and Spanish attendants, but had Marie de Medici given Anne as warm a welcome after leaving her home and family to marry a man she had never met and be queen to people who immediately disliked her because of the country of her birth?

And the King...Aramis was still bristling over how he left Anne to meet Louise alone. The young woman was his relative and had nearly been killed, and yet he could not muster the strength to leave his room for her. Anne had gone through the ordeal at the fortress too, and had been in more imminent danger with the Dauphin, but she was still holding her head up and continuing to carry out her duties.

He admired her resolve, along with Louise's, and could only hope that Anne had not sought out the crucifix for it to not be there.

Hadn't it been though? He ran a hand through his hair to try and help jog his memory. After Anne dismissed them he left to escort Louise to her room…

His stomach dropped.

Marguerite had stopped him from leaving with the others. Marguerite. He closed his eyes and threw his head back; what if it was in her chambers?

Sometime after the eclipse she had sent him a note, asking him to come to her. He went thinking that he would end things between them, but she clung to him when he got there, her voice shaking and tears escaping her eyes as she recounted her ordeal at the fortress, and how grateful she was for him to have cheated death to save her. All he could do in response was hold her and assure her that they were safe now, while feeling guilty that he let this go so far. But to leave her while she was in such a fragile state could utterly break her heart, so he used his tiredness and recent injuries to extricate himself from her grip, and put it off to give her more time to recover and hopefully come to her senses that he wasn't the man for her.

He had been surprised to hear that she had, but also relieved that she was the one to bring it up and allow him to break things off. It had gone much easier than he imagined it would, but he wasn't keen on seeing her again only to pour salt in her wounds and remind her of what they no longer had.

He wasn't keen on losing his crucifix or Anne finding it in the possession of her son's governess either though.

He could still recall the hint of jealousy in Anne's voice when she questioned him about the whereabouts of her gift after her appearance at Ninon de Larroque's trial. And he could also remember how resigned she had sounded too. How used to being passed over. How lonely she must be.

It was true that he had only given Ninon the crucifix to comfort her and in the hope that it would protect her as it had protected him and Anne. He had not considered the possibility of Anne seeing it, nor her reaction, but when she stopped him to ask about it, he realized that it had meant more than just a gift of thanks for her. Not only that, but it had also made him realize that he very much cared about what she thought.

And right now he cared about finding the one thing he had of her, his constant reminder of the love they shared, and the symbol of his devotion.

What would her reaction be if she learned about his involvement with Marguerite? They themselves had agreed to end things months ago, but it had been an empty promise; he still loved her and he knew that she still loved him. It would hurt her for sure, no matter how much she would try to hide it, no matter if she understood his need to be near their son.

He shook his head and cursed himself for being so foolish. He shouldn't have let it it get this far with Marguerite. He probably should have never allowed it to start. But he did, and all that was left to do now was swallow his pride and make his way towards the nursery, keeping an eye out for his crucifix as he did and praying everything would turn out well in the end.


	8. The Prodigal Father

_I have stolen him from his governess._

Anne would never wish her husband dead. She couldn't. Her heart ached for Aramis, but even Louis' death would not allow her to be with him. She would still be the Queen of France, be made regent to her son, and Aramis would still be a soldier. She wouldn't wish her son to become king so young either.

And she had to admit that although Louis often frustrated her and listened to the wrong people, she knew he ultimately had a good heart, and that he would always have a place in hers. By now, she had lived with him in France longer than she had lived with her family in Spain, and they had been through so much together. If he were to die, she would be left even more alone than she was now.

Constance, though, was not a queen.

Constance had a real opportunity to be with the man she loved after her husband's sudden death.

She could hardly believe it when she found out. It almost scared her, for when Constance had returned from seeing her husband and Anne saw the cut on her friend's lip and her reddened cheek, she had indeed wished the man dead. She told Constance she'd have him arrested, but Constance said no. She was finished with him and didn't want to go through an arrest and then a trial. She only asked if she could wait outside the doors to take Princess Louise to her room.

Anne's anger had not completely dissipated by the time she met with the imposter Princess Louise though, and after hearing that it was the imposter who killed him, she briefly wondered if the woman had read her mind or had been able to feel her anger towards Monsieur Bonacieux through their joined hands.

A chill went down her spine and her hands shook at the memory of being so close to the assassin. Surely if she had wanted to kill her, she would have. They had been targeting members of the King's council, not the royal family. Louis apparently did not think they were planning on stopping once the council members were dead though, and so he remained in his rooms, more paranoid than ever.

Sometime after they had returned from the disastrous eclipse viewing, Constance informed her of what had happened with Louis when he was with Marmion. Gambling with people's lives, with her son's life, Anne did not know if she would have been able to do it.

The ordeal with Marmion had been harrowing for her too; being trapped in that room and waiting for those doors to open, but the good things that happened after Aramis walked through those doors overshadowed the bad memories. Being able to show Aramis their son, seeing his face as he gazed upon him, seeing him hold him, and finding out that he still treasured her crucifix had renewed her dreams and gave her welcomed distractions from her loneliness.

She had also thought Milady's dismissal later that day would mean the return of Louis' confidence and attentions, that he might seek comfort in his wife's company, but she was wrong. He had turned to Rochefort, and she wasn't going to be wasting more time today by standing in front of Louis' doors, waiting to be rejected in front of the court. Instead she would spend some time with her son.

Walking into the nursery, Anne found the Dauphin sitting on Marguerite's lap, grabbing at a toy in her hand. Marguerite seemed to stare at the floor though, her thoughts somewhere else.

"Oh good, he's awake," Anne said brightly.

Marguerite jumped slightly as if startled, eliciting a squeal from the Dauphin. She shifted him to her hip and stood up to give a small curtsey. "Your Majesty, he awoke a short time ago."

Anne closed the distance between them and held out her arms for Marguerite to pass him over.

"Are you all right, Marguerite?"

Marguerite looked up, her eyes wide when they met Anne's before darting back to the ground and shaking her head. "Oh, yes, Your Majesty, forgive me, I ju-I just wasn't expecting anyone," she answered, though her smile was wavering.

"Those assassins gave the whole palace quite a fright," Anne stated. It was probably the imposter princess and her accomplice who had the woman on edge. With the killers having been in the palace-in Anne's own apartments-and having been nearly killed by Marmion and his men before that, it would be no surprise if Marguerite's nerves were frayed.

"The brave musketeers stopped them though," Anne said to her son with a smile. "Like they always do."

Turning back to Marguerite, whose lips had formed a thin line, she told her she would be taking the Dauphin to her bedroom to play with him. "While he's with me you can rest or go for a walk-whatever you want."

Marguerite bowed her head. "Thank you, Majesty."

"If you could just bring a few of his toys and some things to put on the floor for him."

"Of course," Marguerite answered and then began collecting the items.

Turning and leaving the nursery, she started making her way down the short hallway to her private chambers.

"It's going to be just the two of us, my darling," Anne whispered before giving her son a kiss on his plump cheek. He gurgled in response and grabbed a lock of her hair to hold onto.

They only had to wait a minute for Marguerite to come into the room and lay down on the floor some linens, a few toys, and a tiny pillow for the Dauphin's head.

"I'll send for you if I need you, otherwise why don't you plan to come back in an hour."

"Majesty." Marguerite nodded and then curtseyed before leaving the room.

"All ready to play," she told her son in a sing-song voice, lightly tickling him before kneeling down and laying him on the floor.


	9. The Accused

_I must return, whatever the risk_

A couple of the sisters were finishing pinning up Anne's hair when Tréville, Athos, and Sister Teresa returned with the completed letter and gave it to Porthos.

"Your Majesty, will you all be leaving now?" Sister Teresa asked.

"Yes," Anne told her, resolute in her answer.

"The sisters should be finished preparing some porridge for our breakfast, would you like to eat something before you go? It is a modest meal, but there is plenty for everyone."

Anne looked over at her musketeers who had been working tirelessly to help her. She didn't have much of an appetite, but she was sure they could do with more than the plate of apples the sisters had already provided. "That is very generous, Sister. We'll have some."

They ate in silence until Tréville noticed that Anne had only taken a couple of spoonfuls and was otherwise staring at the bowl in front of her.

"Your Majesty should try to eat more. You have not had anything in awhile and we still have a long day ahead of us," Tréville told her softly.

Anne brought a small spoonful to her mouth and ate it. She knew he was right, but the fear and anxiety that had taken root in the pit of her stomach the day before had been growing ever since and it was leaving little room for anything else.

When she brought her spoon back to the bowl she scooped up another small portion but hesitated to eat it. She looked up to see Aramis watching her. He held up his own spoon and motioned for her to have more.

They were all trying to help her, and she owed it to them, as well as herself, not to pass out on their way to the palace.

While she ate more, the men began discussing how to get into the palace and get a message to the King. First they thought of sneaking in the same way they did to get her out, but they would likely encounter too many Red Guards and then Rochefort before they could get near the King, if he was even alive.

"What we need is someone on the inside who can tell us if the King is dead or alive and then get a message to him without Rochefort knowing," Tréville explained.

"What about Milady, she knows how to get around the palace undetected," said d'Artagnan, directing his suggestion to Athos.

Athos leaned his right arm on the table and brought his hand up to scratch the side of his face. "We might be able to find out what happened to the King from her, but I don't think she would be able to get close enough to get a message to him and I doubt His Majesty would even receive her."

"How _does_ Milady know how to move around the palace undetected?" Anne asked, confused about the involvement of her husband's former mistress in all this. "Her relationship with my husband didn't need to be kept secret, and it wasn't. And why did she help you spirit me away from the palace in the first place?"

Four pairs of eyes settled on Athos, who had his head turned away from her, resting against his hand.

"Athos?"

Athos brought his hand down but did not look at her when he answered. "Because she was the one who told us Rochefort is a spy. And she knows of the palace's secret passages because she used to work for the Cardinal."

"What? Wait," Anne closed her eyes for a moment to try and sort out what this information meant, "a woman who used to work for the Cardinal-a man who plotted to kill me-becomes the King's mistress, and none of you thought it necessary to tell me who she really was?" Her gaze swept over all of them as they looked guiltily down at the table.

"That's my fault, Your Majesty," d'Artagnan spoke up. "Constance came to me, informing me of Milady's new position in the palace. She wanted to warn you but I advised her not to. We don't have any evidence tying Milady to the Cardinal, and if we were to tell you and then the King who she really was, then we would have had to reveal the Cardinal's treachery to the King."

"We did not believe she intended you or His Majesty any harm, so d'Artagnan and I convinced the others to just keep an eye on her and... avoid upsetting His Majesty."

"Who has been critical of the musketeers as of late." She detected the guilt in Athos' voice but understood that they wanted to keep the King happy even if it meant she would be humiliated as a result.

"They met by chance at that slaver's camp and when we first saw her with the King we tried to dissuade him from thinking too well of her, but she had indeed saved his life and he would not hear a word against her. He pardoned her of her crimes before even hearing them all," Aramis recounted.

"We figured she would tire of constantly putting on an act to please him or that he would quickly tire of her, and he did." D'Artagnan sounded hopeful that since they were proven right, she wouldn't be too upset.

He was wrong.

"He did," Anne repeated, her voice rising as she continued, "after she tried to increase her favour by rescuing him from Marmion. And now I might be blamed for the King's poisoning. How do you know she isn't working with Rochefort-the Cardinal's successor? That this isn't another attempt to get rid of me so that another woman, her this time, can be at the King's side, or in control with Rochefort."

Anne looked back and forth between Athos and d'Artagnan for an answer, but it was Porthos who responded. "Rochefort never wanted Milady ruling France with him. He wanted you." He shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it then, but when Marmion had him chained him up with me, he said there was a woman he wanted to be with, he only had to deal with her husband first."

While the others groaned at the revelation, Anne's skin prickled and she thought she might throw up her porridge as she was reminded of how long that man had lusted for her, how he worked to gain her trust, and how he reacted when he realized she didn't want him.

She was saved from reliving the memory of his attack by Athos drawing her attention back to matter at hand. "What Milady wants is wealth and status, not power over France, and not with Rochefort. Majesty, trust me," Athos pleaded. "She wants to see Rochefort brought down. She has had every opportunity to betray us-she hasn't, and she won't."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Anne sighed, accepting their arguments supporting Milady. For now, at least. She had other things to worry about. "But she won't be able to help us meet with the King anyway. Who can? Constance?"

"Rochefort might be watching her, suspicious of her close connections to Your Majesty and the musketeers," Tréville countered.

"What about Marguerite?" Aramis suggested, though he sounded unsure.

Porthos concurred. "She has access to the King and Rochefort would be less suspicious of her."

"Yes, Marguerite will help us." Anne was sure of it.


	10. Trial and Punishment

_Do you love the Queen, Aramis?_

Anne tried to hold back her tears until she could no longer hear his footsteps. She did not want him to hear her cry, to know that he got to her.

Rochefort was going to torture and kill Aramis because she loved him. Because she gave him that crucifix.

She wiped away the tears threatening to fall. This was all her fault. She had truly forgotten the crucifix's origins and telling Richefort she would always wear it. She seldom did when it was still in her possession. Although it was a fine and elegant piece, it was simple and humble in comparison to her other necklaces, which was exactly why she wore it to the Chatelet that fateful Good Friday.

Wanting to give Aramis something in return for saving her life as he did, she had thought the crucifix she had been wearing would be the perfect gift, and hoped, as she told Aramis, that it would protect him as it had protected her.

She could only pray now that it would continue to do so and spare him from Rochefort's gruesome plans. For even though Aramis would hold on as long as he could, the pain would eventually break him or kill him.

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and tried to rid her mind of the suffering Rochefort wanted her to envision, wishing instead that she could hear her son's cries again.

At first, hearing them was like having her heart slowly carved out of her chest. She could tell that they had moved him to another room, farther away from her, but still close enough that she could hear him calling for her.

Once they stopped though, the silence began to worry her even more. At least when he cried she had an idea of where he was and what he might be feeling; that he was all right, but just wanted to be held or fed. Marguerite had said he was being taken care of, but how could she trust the woman anymore?

Anne clenched her jaw. She should have known that the spying and the treachery would not end with Richelieu's death. How long had Marguerite been working with Rochefort? How long had she been planning to betray her, to betray them all?

And how long had she been sleeping with Aramis?

Of all the women in Paris...but that was it, wasn't it? Marguerite was the one in charge of his son.

Anne had spent most of last night trying to remember their interactions, looking for signs that she may have missed. When Aramis rescued them, Marguerite had ran over and embraced him, but Anne simply thought she had been grateful he was alive and there to save them. Aramis had barely seemed to return the affection, his eyes instead locking with hers, and extricating himself from Marguerite's arms so that he could come over and let her show him their son. And later while she watched as Constance and d'Artagnan kissed, wishing she and Aramis could so freely express their love, Aramis had looked to her, not Marguerite.

But that day Marguerite had also seen _them_ together. Did she start to suspect something then? Is that why she'd been so melancholic in the days following? Why she couldn't hold her gaze the other day when she collected the Dauphin from her?

She chastised herself for letting her guard down and noticing too late that Marguerite had been watching them during that precious moment.

She had also underestimated Aramis' need to be near his child. If it was true that he did not love Marguerite and had pursued the relationship in order to see his son, then she was partially responsible for driving him to go to such lengths. She had made him promise to stay away, made no attempts to arrange meetings or interactions before the day of the eclipse, and she didn't even get word to him when their son was ill. Her cowardice and selfishness led to her fear becoming realized anyway.

But while Marguerite had the right to be angry at Aramis if he was only using her, it did not excuse her complicity in Rochefort's machinations. How could she let her jealousy, greed, need for revenge, whatever her reason, allow for innocent people to be harmed? Constance was almost beheaded. Poor Lemay was. The King was poisoned and might still be in danger. And what about the Dauphin? Not only was it her duty to care for him as her charge and as her future king, but he is only a baby. Does she not care what will happen to him if he is declared a bastard and the result of a treasonous affair?

As much as she liked to think that Louis would not allow any harm to come to the Dauphin even if he disowned him, she feared that Rochefort had wormed his way into his head so deeply that Louis would do anything he said.

Opening her eyes, she looked over to the book next to her and ran her fingers over the cover. It was a biography of her mother that her father had given her when she first came to France and that she had been trying to find solace in. She thought she might even find a solution to her problem in its pages, for her mother had once experienced her own fight against her husband's most prominent advisor, the Duke of Lerma. Anne quickly realized though that her problems were much more complex than her mother's, and that the Duke had nowhere near the amount of influence Rochefort had, nor was she as clever and powerful as her mother was; if she had been, then Rochefort wouldn't have been able to get this far.

Her only hope was that Constance, Tréville, and the musketeers would succeed in their plan to have Vargas persuade the King to believe in Rochefort's treachery and set things right. And if they didn't, she knew they would do whatever they could to make sure Aramis, herself, and the Dauphin were safe from his fury.

Aramis had told her when they left for the convent that they all knew now about his relationship with her and the Dauphin. Although she worried about them getting involved with her treason, it comforted her to know that they all still chose to follow and defend her, and were willingly risking their own lives to save her and her son. They really were more than just her musketeers, and maybe even more than friends.

MMMMMMMMMM

"No, Aramis."

Aramis stopped his hand as he was about to close Rochefort's eyes and looked up at Anne, taking in her clenched fists and hard stare directed at the dead man.

"Not for him."

Rochefort had done terrible things to her, to her loved ones, to France. Aramis and his brothers had each delivered a blow upon Rochefort's body, even Constance did too, and while d'Artagnan was the one who killed him, Anne would damn his soul, and Aramis would not prevent her from seeing her tormentor wholly defeated.

Standing up, Aramis walked over to Anne. "Are you all right?"

Anne touched her neck with her fingertips as if making sure the chain was no longer wrapped around it before looking up at Aramis and nodding that she was okay. "Your arm." The hand at her neck went to where the leather was cut on his right arm.

"It's not deep. Don't worry." Aramis could feel the others watching them and turned to face them. "And you all got past the Red Guards in one piece?"

Porthos, d'Artagnan, and Athos all nodded.

"How is the King?" Anne asked.

"Shaken, Your Majesty, but unharmed," Porthos answered. "We told him to stay in his room until Rochefort was taken care of."

"I should go to him. And the Dauphin. Does anyone know how he is?"

That his crib was in a room next to the King's was all that Constance could offer with sorrow on her face that she had not been able to watch over him as she said she would.

"I didn't hear any crying or anything when we brought Vargas to the King."

"Marguerite…he said…" Constance trailed off, glancing over at Rochefort's body.

A chill went down Aramis' spine as he remembered what Rochefort had said about Marguerite. Surely she wouldn't have...Rochefort must have been lying to try and upset him and gain the upper hand. If Marguerite was dead then it was by Rochefort's hand.

"Aramis," Anne was looking at him with wide eyes, "you don't think they'd hurt him…"

"No," Aramis said firmly, trying to keep his own fears at bay as much as Anne's.

"I have to see him," Anne said determinedly and exited the room in a haste. Aramis and Constance immediately followed her, the others close behind.

"This room." Constance confirmed as they came up to it.

Constance opened the door and took a step in but didn't move any further. One of her hands reached out behind her to either grab Anne's arm or stop her from coming in. Anne stepped closer nonetheless to look inside the room and Aramis saw her put a hand over her mouth.

"What is it?" Aramis asked, dreading the answer. He came up behind Anne and craned his neck to see what they were looking at. He spotted the body on the floor and his heart dropped.

"Marguerite," Constance said is a soft voice. Holding onto Anne's forearm, she led her further into the room towards the Dauphin's crib.

He could hear his brothers walking up behind him, but Aramis stood there staring, guilt anchoring his boots to the floor. He got her into this mess. This was his fault.

A strangled, "No" broke through Aramis' stupor and he tore his eyes away from Marguerite to see Anne and Constance leaning over the crib.

Constance turned around, her face stricken with dismay. "He's not here."

Aramis strode over and saw the empty crib for himself, fear chilling his blood and spreading through his body as he began imagining what could have happened to his son.

"Where is he?" Anne asked aloud as she continued to stare into the crib, one hand gripping the side of it while the other held Constance's. Aramis could see that her face was pinched in an effort to keep control over her emotions.

He moved closer and put his hand on top of hers. Her eyes closed at the contact and her thumb moved over his knuckles as she took a shuddering breath. "We'll find him," he whispered.

"Could one of his nurses have him? A guard?" d'Artagnan offered behind them, sounding ready to launch into a pursuit.

A muffled sound came from the other side of the wall.

Anne's head jerked up. "Sire?" She left the crib and went towards the doors to the King's room.

"Anne?" Came the reply, louder this time.

Aramis went to follow Anne but Porthos stepped out in front of him and put a hand on his chest. "Be careful," Porthos held his gaze as he cautioned him, "If the King sees you acting too concerned over the Dauphin, he might change his mind about _all_ of Rochefort's allegations being lies."

Aramis nodded as they heard an exclamation of relief from Anne once she opened the doors. He felt the grip on his heart ease knowing that the Dauphin must be in there and let the others follow her in.

Standing at the back of the group, Aramis saw, between Athos and Porthos' heads, the King sitting on the edge of his bed, the Dauphin asleep in the center of it.

The King stood up, holding his arms out. He had tears in his eyes. "He made me...I didn't want to…"

Anne took her husband into her arms. "I know. He's gone now." Releasing the King, Anne looked over to the Dauphin.

"He's been crying so much for his mother he must have tired himself out," the King told Anne as she sat on the bed and put a hand on her son's chest. "I went to check on him and saw Lady Marguerite. I don't know where his nurses are so I brought him in here."

"Rochefort must have sent everyone out of the palace. We can go find them, Your Majesty, and send in the palace guards and servants for now, until you wish to reopen court." Athos proposed.

"Yes." The King cleared his throat. "And then you may return to the garrison. I will send for the four of you and Tréville once I'm ready; I'd like to talk to you all after we have had some time to recover."

"I'll bring the Dauphin to the nursery so the nurses can better tend to him." Anne said to the King, making sure he was all right with her leaving with the boy.

"Yes, of course."

"Would Your Majesty like one of us to stay with you until the guards return?" Athos asked the King.

"No, that won't be necessary." He looked at the four of them solemnly and gave a nod of his head. "Thank you."

Aramis and his brothers bowed before leaving the room through the main door. Anne and Constance followed them out, the Dauphin cradled in Anne's arms. They passed a streak of blood on the floor as they exited and Athos looked at Porthos over his shoulder.

"Villefort." Porthos pointed around the corner to the body of the Captain of the Red Guard on the floor on the other side of the wall. In a low voice he explained, "He tried to stop us getting past. Tréville had Vargas help move him away from the King."

Before they parted from Anne and Constance, Athos stopped and asked, "What about you, Your Majesty? Would you like one of us to stay with you?"

Anne's eyes flicked over to Aramis, but she shook her head. He could tell that she knew as well as he did that while they both would have liked to take this opportunity to be relatively alone with their son and talk about what had transpired, it was too big of a risk so soon after what happened. "Thank you, Athos, but I think we'll be fine on our own. You've all done enough for today."

They bowed and started to walk away, d'Artagnan lingering to grasp Constance's hand and exchange a few words as Aramis saw when he looked back. His gaze shifted over to Anne, who looked up from the Dauphin and saw him watching. Aramis paused in his step, his eyes connecting with Anne's. With her eyes still locked with his, Anne bent her head down and kissed the Dauphin's forehead, her lips forming a small smile once they left their son's head.

Aramis gave a half-smile in return and then continued on his way, comforted with the knowledge that they were safe now. God had answered his plea to help them and saved him as well, which meant he had a vow to keep...and sins to atone for.

* * *

 **A/N:** That's it for this part of the series! I hope that these additions to the episodes felt natural and in-character, and most importantly, I hope you enjoyed reading them as I do plan on continuing onto season 3 (after a little one-shot set soon after 2x10)!

 **Historical background/inspiration:**

-Anne's mother, Margaret, did not like her husband's closest adviser, the Duke of Lerma, who tried to limit her access to her husband and would also (try to) have women in her household spy on her (and Anne, though the spies developed more loyalty to them than him). Some hold her responsible for Lerma's fall from grace. Margaret's battle was more of a long game involving societal image though, where she would do things like dine with nuns instead of honoring him with her presence, or my favorite, tell him and his wife she'd honor them and give birth to her first child (Anne) at their home, let them prepare for it, but then change her mind a few days before giving birth. Rodrigo Calderon was Lerma's secretary and was accused of poisoning Margaret, perhaps on Lerma's orders, when she died. Margaret also brought Philip closer to her by simply giving him more children; he'd spend less and less time away from her with each pregnancy. - _The Empress, the Queen, and the Nun_ by Magdalena S. Sanchez

-"Diego de Guzman, Philip III's royal almoner, wrote the queen's biography, most probably following Philip III's instructions. The king wanted the book to serve as a model for his daughter Anne...Philip instructed his daughter to read this account of her mother's life and to follow its example' - _The Empress, the Queen, and the Nun_ by Magdalena S. Sanchez


End file.
